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Friday, 21 August 2015

Well “worth”
the wait

Travelling
is clearly one of my passions, I’m sure you’ve all realized that. Nothing beats
being able to skim through the many virtual tourist pages of the internet to
cherry pick my target destinations beneath the evening moonlight. On the
majority of occasions, I’m able to select where I’d like to explore next and
carry that trip out the following day.

Train times for today...

However, there have been a few times
where I haven’t been able to immediately meet my goal. One example was my trip
to Bamburgh (read here) which occurred approximately three years after I’d
noted it down in my to-travel-to list. Haworth, the topic of today’s story, and
I encountered the similar issue. Try as I did during my free-time England, heading
to this little West Yorkshire village, which was famed for being the place where the
Brontë sisters lived, was just a bit difficult for someone residing much
further up north that had to rely on public transport.

Feeling tempted to head to Haworth already

Yeah, it
was dreadfully frustrating. Especially since all the reviews and amazing photos
of Haworth’s shops, views, and the Bronte museum online looked incredibly
tempting.

Time to board!

Being
unable to reach Haworth straightaway never tempered my dreams about it. So
finally, after three long years, fate turned around and gave me the thumbs up. I
soon found myself sitting on the train from Leeds to Haworth via Keighley with
perpetual excitement.

Memories of Le Tour De France 2014

From electric
to steam

To get to
Haworth, the easiest way would be to drive. However, adventurers (or people
without a driver’s license) would be better off taking the steam train from
Keighley to Haworth.

Yes, you
heard me, steam.

Inside the train

Trains and
I are accustomed to one another. But steam trains on the other hand, now that
was a whole new story. Watching the railway workers slowly steer the engine
from the back of one carriage to the front of a different one, I suddenly felt
as though I’d stepped back in time and visited the period in which TheRailway
Children was set in. The feeling actually made sense once I’d stepped into
the train and was informed, by the sign on the table, that the Keighley
& Worth Valley Railway was actually where the famed movie had been
filmed.

Why hello there...

I quickly sprang into action with my camera, snapping shots of burning
coal, the carriages’ interiors, and, would you believe it, dog water (it’s
important to cater for all members boarding the train you know!).

For thirsty furry friends only

The Bronte
parsonage

They say
it’s wise to save the best till last, but in this case, heading to the Brontë
parsonage museum first was definitely a smart choice. Why? Because there was SO
much to see (well, read to be more precise). Unfortunately, photography was a
big no no inside the house of the Brontë’s where the museum was based. However,
from a scale of 1 to 5, I’d definitely give it 5 stars. Apart from being able
to see the original manuscripts and items that belonged to the family, it was
truly interesting being able to wander through each room that the famed sisters
had once resided in. Will definitely head back again to visit (especially since
the ticket you purchase is valid for an entire year).

The Bronte Parsonage Museum

Oh and I
totally recommend buying a Brontë novel from the shop – you can ask for a free
stamp saying that you’d purchased it from the museum itself.

The Bronte sisters

Also,
there is a vintage bus that takes you up to the museum but I’d definitely suggest
getting there by foot. Good exercise AND you get to have a good look around all
of Haworth’s shops! Don’t forget to take photos of all the quirky little
building decorations too.

Bronte bears and more

Eat,
Shop, & Walk

Minions, plush toys and home-ware

I think
anyone that visits Haworth would find it excruciatingly difficult to avoid
spending a couple of pounds or so on souvenirs. With so many locally-made
products and gifts, it’s honestly the perfect village for a Sunday boutique
shopping spree. It’s particularly suited for vintage lovers comme moi – think 40s-60s
clothes, shoes, hats and more!

So much choice!

A colourful and tasty lunch

And after
all that walking and shopping, I’m sure you’re bound to be hungry and thirsty.
Food and drinks are plentiful in Haworth, given the many teashops and pubs
plotted up and down the main street. My choice during my day there was Cobbles
and Clay, a colorful café where you can paint while you eat (just pick a piece
of pottery and some art equipment to get started). The veggie sandwich I had
there was honestly scrumptious.

Sheep and hedgehogs

Hanging
out in Haworth and exploring every nook and cranny of it was definitely a
Sunday well spent. But like with all stories, an ending must follow. So at
approximately 4:30pm, I found myself waving a tearful goodbye to the beautiful
little village that I had befriended during my one-day trip. I therefore sought
comfort in my new copy of Wuthering Heights as the steam train slowly
swept us away.

Inspired by travel

Green tea buttercream frosting

One of the things that definitely struck me as memorable during my short trip to Japan (Tokyo) several weeks back was the food. Whether it was from a local noodle shop or a tiny street stall, everything I managed to devour was absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS. Seriously, I'd find it immensely difficult if I had to state what my most favourite dish was - I can't even list out every item we tried because there were too many! Think udon, curry and of course, sushi.

Piping perfection

For any amateur cook (comme moi), there's no doubt that all of the above ingredients can easily become inspiration for exotic, fusion dishes. However, rather than going down the savoury route, I decided to travel on the sweet path and selected matcha as my special add-on. Also known as green tea, matcha produces a sort of bitter taste. However, when combined with a bit of sugar and baking-magic, it presents itself as the perfect ingredient for cupcakes (and simultaneously transforms them into a beautiful shade of bright green). Not overly sweet in any way, my suggestion for all you keen bakers out there is to challenge yourself to create a green tea buttercream frosting to go with your light and spongy cupcakes. Sure the cakes look great by themselves, but topping them with a swirl of frosting honestly increases their elegance (and also boosts your cake crafting status!).

The (standard) steps of baking (cake mix --> oven --> done)

Oh, and did I mention the cupcakes went down a storm/ very quickly into everyone's tummies? You definitely can't say no to giving matcha cupcakes a go.

The finishing touch

A photo of a photo

And although many of my culinary adventures have occurred through the lone wolf route, I always think it's fun to bake with other keen cake makers every so often (especially since we managed to make so many different treats within the short space of 3 hours!).

Sunday, 16 August 2015

A
performance worth experiencing

Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of
attending the Supernova finals. Originating from 2009, it’s an annual secondary
school contest aimed at discovering the best singer or music group among the
Hong Kong youth population. It was definitely an enjoyable night. I liked how
there was a mix of English, Cantonese and Chinese pieces performed by each of
the 12 finalists. However, aside from all the merry melodies and star-studded
dances, I had an additional mission during that evening: to support my dear
friend Keanne Lee. With all her hard-work and patience, we all knew that she truly
deserved to be crowned the champion of Supernova.

I mean honestly, her first song, Rolling
in the Deep by Adele, literally blew the entire crowd away (just have
a look at this amazing video of her if you don’t believe me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFB7PcilymU&feature=youtu.be

Also check out her cover of Speechless - left me speechless too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wH7sSqG_5U&feature=youtu.be

Impressive
right? The judges thought so too. We were all delighted that Keanne won at the
end of the night after 3 rounds of eliminations and sensational songs. Glad
that our cheering and voting helped her along her way!